Street-railway switch



(NoModeL) L. O. POWERS.

. Street Railway Switch.

N0. 237,903. Patented Feb. 15,1881.

l F4 2. 5 i

Fig.3.

, ZJ'z'Z-72esses. v izwizivi". I I 4% mm M b STATES FFTCEQ LURAY G. POWERS, OF SOMERVILLE, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN W. OARTWRIGHT, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS.

STREET- RAI LWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 237,903, dated February 15, 1881.

Application filed November 18, 1880.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LURAY C. POWERS, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new 5 and useful Improvements in Street-Railway Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide devices whereby the railway switch may be moved or placed, as desired, to turn the horsecar from the main or direct track to any connecting car-track by means of mechanism connected with the platform or platforms at each end of a car, and operated by the driver therer 5 of, so as to come into contact with certain actuating mechanism connected with the streetrailway switch, and thereby move such switch, as desired, to run such horse-car over the route contemplated without the aid or assistance of a special switch'tender, and without the necessity of any abrupt guidance of the car-horses from the car-track, so as to enable the horses, when so turned aside, to tilt a platform and thereby operate the switch, at a great inconz 5 venienoe, in the more crowded streets, as heretofore and now in general use 5 and niyinvention consists, primarily, in the construction, combination, and arrangement of an actuating switch wheel or wheels, as may be desired,

a'with the horse-car platform or platforms, and which may be set or turned or swiveled by the foot or hand of the horse-car driver, and then forced downward and held or adjusted in such position as to engage with a segmental actuating switch-bar, the end or ends of which project a short distance above the bearingsurface or tread of the car-track, and when brought in contact with the periphery of the adjustable switch-wheel that end of the segmental switch-bar is pressed downward even with the plane of the upper surface of the l track. This movement of the said switch-bar partially rotates the same on its bearings, or

l causes it to slide and elevate its opposite end, 5 which movement changes the position of the car-track switch-tongue, it being pivoted or loosely connected With the central portion of i the segmental switch-bar in any suitable manner, as hereinafter more fully described and set forth.

(No model.)

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the lower portion of a horse-car and rail or track with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a plan of a street-railway, showing my switch actuating mechanism connected 5 5 therewith. Fig. 3 represents an end elevation of the car containing myinvention, and a vertical section view of the switchactuating mechanism on broken line x '1, Fig. 2.

A represents the lower portions of a home car, to the platform of which is journaled, in suitable bearings, a vertical adjustable actuating-shaft, B, the upper end of which may be provided with a hand-crank, so as to partially rotate the said shaft B, when desired, the 6 lower end portion of which extends downward through the platform, and through a hanger,

O, secured to the under side thereof. This vertical shaft B is provided with a spring, F,

of suitable construction, to temporarily retain 0 said shaft B in an elevated position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, its extreme lower end being provided with a properly-journaled bearing and box, which permits the switch-wheel D to rotate at one side of said vertical shaft B, when 7 5 it is forced downward by pressure of the foot of the horse-car driver upon the step I, secured to said shaft B, (a suitable distance above the platform of the car,) to allow said switch-wheel D to contact with the projecting end E of the curved or segmental actuating'bar H, pressing it down as it rolls over the same, and thus sliding or partially rotating the said segmental bar H, to the central portion of which is loosely connected, by a vertical bolt, pin, or otherwise pivoted by a projection, L, the switchtongue K, as shown in Fig. 3, which movement of bar H actuates or moves the switch to ngue K.

It will be understood that if shaft Bis turned 0 in one direction the step I or other means acts as a stop when said shaft B has carried the switch-wheel D to the desired position to contact with one end of the curved switch-bar H as it passes over it, and that a half-turn of the 5 shaft B in the opposite direction will bring the said switch-wheel D into position to contact with the opposite end of the said seg= mental switch-bar H, which has a suitable bearing, N, and thus move the switch in the reverse direction or position, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3.

It is evident that the vertical shaft B may be partially rotated by the foot alone acting upon the step, and thus dispense with the hand-crank at the upper end thereof; and, also, it will be understood that instead of partially rotating shaft B, a duplicate thereof may be employed, with the switch-wheel placed upon the opposite side, so as to contact with the op posite end of the segmental switch-bar H when pressed downward, and thus accomplish the same result in moving the switch as before without rotating shaft B or its counterpart.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combination with the vertically and horizontally adjustable switch-wheel of the car, the segmental bar, connected with the switch-tongue and adapted to be operated substantially in the manner described, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with a street-railway switch, a segmental actuating-bar, either end of which may project above the plane of the upper surface of the track in such manner as to permit of being pressed downward by an adjustable switch-wheel applied to the horsecar, and thereby move the said switch-tongue into the desired position, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The segmental bar H, connected with the switch-tongue K, and adapted to operate the said switch-tongue, substantially as described, as and for the purposes set forth.

LURAY G. POWERS.

Witnesses:

SYLVENUs WALKER, H. S. TALBOT.

l l l l l l l l 

